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So, FRINGE fans, tell me, is this show worth an investment, or should I wait for the big set we all know will (eventually) be released?

Honestly I wouldn't spend good money on FRINGE--I watched it for free and ultimately I felt like it was a waste of time looking back.

Yes, but that would seem to be true of most shows that you watch and write about on a weekly basis.

__________________
Travel's fatal to prejudice, bigotry, narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things can't be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's life.

So, FRINGE fans, tell me, is this show worth an investment, or should I wait for the big set we all know will (eventually) be released?

If you waited until now, you can wait for the big set. The only problem is that the big sets usually have terrible packaging.

Fringe is good and occasionally great. It is half mythology episodes and half standalones. The main plot of the series really didn't start until halfway through season two. The main character is a little bland, but the supporting characters make up for it.

The second half of season two all the way until the middle of season three has some of my favorite Sci Fi episodes ever. That's "Jacksonville" until "Marionette" for those Fringe fans wondering.

On the subject of Fringe on home video, have other Bad Robot series had extra features when they received a complete series release? That might be a good barometer if you should buy the season sets now, or wait for the complete series in a year or so.

Lost did, and I think Alias did - but those were both released by ABC/Disney. Fringe is the first WB release; you'd be better off looking at past complete WB releases (which haven't generally had extra content) for a clue in this case, I think.

It's never only about the ratings. There are lots of factors that go into the renewal decision, many of which we never hear about.

Take the weirdly common notion that foreign ratings "don't count." I'm sure they do, in cases where networks are profiting from those ratings. Why would any business ignore any revenue source? But has anyone seen a good listing of foreign ratings, especially one that comprehensively includes all global markets? I sure can't find one. So it's impossible to guess how much they count.

In this case, Warners and Bad Robot lowered the license fee, and that did the trick. I'm sure the fact that Fringe is warming the Friday night deathslot was a factor. What is Fox going to put in the deathslot instead? And their pilots pickups have been light this year, considering how many shows they've cancelled or are bound to cancel.

You just showed why foreign ratings don't count and then explained why they can still be a factor without making the connection. The networks don't profit from the ratings, the production companies do. Even if they share a corporate parent, the networks still need to produce a profit on their own. So Fox/NBC don't care what ratings a show gets in Europe, since their profit only comes from the ads they sell in the US. Now 20th Century Television or Universal Television indirectly care about foreign ratings, because that affects what the foreign networks will pay for the show. But if the US ratings are low then Fox/NBC will still cancel a show. The only way around that is if the production company agrees to sell the show for a lower license fee in the US. Which will only happen if they can make up the revenue elsewhere(foreign or increased syndication fees).

^^
Although I haven't seen it, judging from what I've read, you might find the Canadian-South African co-production* Charlie Jade to be interesting.

*I think I got that right...

I'm watching Charlie Jade streaming on Netflix right now and I love it. I first discovered it when it aired a few years back on Syfy, but they eventually moved it from 9:00 or 10:00 Friday nights to like 1:00 or 2:00 Tue. mornings and then stopped showing altogether by about the 9th or 10th episode.

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They say a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, but it is not one half so bad as a lot of ignorance. - Terry Pratchett, Equal Rites

It's never only about the ratings. There are lots of factors that go into the renewal decision, many of which we never hear about.

Take the weirdly common notion that foreign ratings "don't count." I'm sure they do, in cases where networks are profiting from those ratings. Why would any business ignore any revenue source? But has anyone seen a good listing of foreign ratings, especially one that comprehensively includes all global markets? I sure can't find one. So it's impossible to guess how much they count.

In this case, Warners and Bad Robot lowered the license fee, and that did the trick. I'm sure the fact that Fringe is warming the Friday night deathslot was a factor. What is Fox going to put in the deathslot instead? And their pilots pickups have been light this year, considering how many shows they've cancelled or are bound to cancel.

You just showed why foreign ratings don't count and then explained why they can still be a factor without making the connection. The networks don't profit from the ratings, the production companies do. Even if they share a corporate parent, the networks still need to produce a profit on their own. So Fox/NBC don't care what ratings a show gets in Europe, since their profit only comes from the ads they sell in the US. Now 20th Century Television or Universal Television indirectly care about foreign ratings, because that affects what the foreign networks will pay for the show. But if the US ratings are low then Fox/NBC will still cancel a show. The only way around that is if the production company agrees to sell the show for a lower license fee in the US. Which will only happen if they can make up the revenue elsewhere(foreign or increased syndication fees).

However, if they lower the licensing fee, it's more profitable for a network.